Editorial: Lawmakers should reform redistricting

Friday

Jan 6, 2017 at 12:01 AMJan 8, 2017 at 10:07 AM

The new Ohio Senate president has gotten off to an inauspicious start, signaling that he sees no need for the legislature to change the way congressional district maps are drawn - currently by the party in power, and by zigzagging boundaries through and around communities to pack districts with friendly voters and scatter the opposition, diluting their franchise.

The new Ohio Senate president has gotten off to an inauspicious start, signaling that he sees no need for the legislature to change the way congressional district maps are drawn — currently by the party in power, and by zigzagging boundaries through and around communities to pack districts with friendly voters and scatter the opposition, diluting their franchise.

Ohioans have done away with this gerrymandering when it comes to their Statehouse legislative districts; a reform initiative — a compromise hammered out by the legislature and presented to voters for approval — passed overwhelmingly in 2015. But the legislature has dragged its feet on leading similar reform for the state’s federal offices.

Hey, why change when you’re ahead?

Ohio Senate President Larry Obhof, R-Medina, told Gongwer News Service a week ago that he doesn’t wish to weaken the legislature’s power to draw the congressional maps, done every 10 years after the Census. He suggested proposed reforms are motivated by disgruntled (out-of-power) Democrats.

“If somebody has an idea they think is better than what we do now, I’m happy to talk about it, but drawing congressional districts is one of the key functions of the legislature,” Obhof is quoted as saying.

As it happens, senator, a few folks do have ideas.

A coalition of reform advocates, Fair Districts = Fair Elections, has prepared a draft plan for redistricting reform and is mobilizing to take its plan directly to voters, potentially on the November ballot.

Leadership on the issue also is coming from Gov. John Kasich, who this week said he’ll push redistricting reform through an unusual vehicle — his final budget to be rolled out this month. His strategy: Let legislators answer for it if they take it out.

Reform is coming, whether the legislature’s GOP leaders want it or not.

Abdicating its responsibility will not keep the legislature in the driver’s seat. Ohioans are done waiting to put an end to a hyper-partisan mapmaking system that feeds political extremism, gridlock and bitter divisiveness in Washington. Gerrymandering also reduces faith in elections by creating can’t-lose districts, making results predictable. Some ask, why bother to vote?

The November election is a good example. While Ohio was very much a contested prize in the presidential race, not a single congressional seat changed parties — or was even considered competitive.

In 2011, when Ohio’s current congressional districts were last redrawn by a Republican-dominated state government, the GOP predicted it would win 12 districts and that Democrats would win four. This is exactly the lopsided victory that occurred in November.

Fair Districts = Fair Elections aims for bipartisan, transparent map-drawing to end gerrymandering in Ohio’s U.S. House races. This group has shown great patience, hoping that the legislature would do the right thing and take up reform.

Instead, the legislature has punted with years of endless study and squabbling. Now, Obhof essentially tells the groups exploring an initiative to go full steam ahead.

But government by initiative is less than ideal. It would be far better for Ohioans if lawmakers crafted such a plan based on expert testimony, informed debate and compromise.

This issue is going forward whether or not the legislature continues to sit on its hands. Kasich has given lawmakers an opening to resume control of congressional-redistricting reform. They should take it.